Wrist Injury Forces Rafael Nadal Out of Two US Open Tuneups

Rafael Nadal's prospects of repeating last year's remarkable run on North American hardcourts were dealt a significant blow Tuesday when he injured his right wrist in practice.

Nadal, the defending champion at the United States Open, announced that his wrist needed to be immobilized in a cast for at least two to three weeks, which will force him to miss the warm-up Masters events in Toronto and Cincinnati. Nadal is also the defending champion at both of those tournaments, and he will surrender 2,000 ranking points by not playing them this year. He is defending another 2,000 ranking points from his United States Open title.

'After the tests I have undergone today in Spain, including an M.R.I., and checking with my doctors, I will have to stay out of competition for at least 2-3 weeks,' Nadal said in a statement distributed by the Cincinnati Masters. 'I am sorry and wish the best to the tournament and thank all of the fans for their support. I'm extremely disappointed that I am unable to defend my titles and compete in Toronto and Cincinnati this year. I was looking forward to coming and playing again after my great results last year.'

Nadal flew to Barcelona from his training base in Manacor, in Majorca, for tests of his wrist, which revealed 'a small disinsertion of the posterior ulnar pod of his right wrist.'

Nadal's camp offered a prognosis, saying in a statement: 'Depending on the evolution of the injury that will be carefully followed by the doctors, including M.R.I. tests, it will be decided then the return to competition, initially scheduled for the U.S. Open.'

If Nadal is unable to defend his United States Open crown, it will be the second time in his career that an injury has prevented him from defending a Grand Slam title. In 2009, knee issues forced him to miss Wimbledon, where he had won the fifth of his 14 major titles the year before. Similar issues with his knees also forced him out of the 2012 United States Open and the 2013 Australian Open.

After those setbacks, however, he was able to achieve some of the best hardcourt results of his career last year. He reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in October, and held it for 39 weeks before Novak Djokovic overtook him by winning Wimbledon in July. Nadal, currently ranked No. 2, has not played since losing in the fourth round of Wimbledon to the wild card Nick Kyrgios.

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